An article titled “Identity, Mental Health and Work" which was published in the journal of Human Relations has been made free to access for a limited time to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month.

The research by Dr Hadar Elraz of the Department of Organisation, Work and Technology explores experiences of mental health in the workplace, and how employees with mental health conditions recount stigma and the pejorative discourse of mental illness.

The article examines prevailing debates on mental health and illness at work as reflected through the experiences of individuals with mental health conditions in the workplace. The study found that people with mental health conditions use their experiences to perform more effectively in the workplace. The same strategies that individuals put in place to manage their mental health can also be applied to prioritize workload effectively, promote mental health awareness and achieve work‒life balance.

In a series of 60 interviews, the study reveals how people with mental health conditions overcome stigma, judgement and discrimination to stay in employment and, in many cases, prosper in the contemporary workplace. Those who have experienced mental ill health have knowledge and expertise to help in managing the delicate interface between work and their mental health condition successfully.

Human Relations is an international peer reviewed journal publishing the highest quality original research to advance our understanding of social relationships at and around work. Human Relations encourages strong empirical contributions that develop and extend theory as well as more conceptual papers that integrate, critique and expand existing theory.

Visit Sage Publishing to read the article.